For South Bay students, smiles and tears on the first day of school

Share this:

Boogie Alazzawy, 7, left, holds his father Mohammed's hand, right, before entering his second grade class during the first day of school at R.I. Meyerholz Elementary School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018. (Randy Vazquez/ Bay Area News Group)

Shreya Karthik, left, hugs her brother Surya, right, one last time before her kindergarten class during the first day of school at R.I. Meyerholz Elementary School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018. (Randy Vazquez/ Bay Area News Group)

Sound

The gallery will resume inseconds

Nika Gambarin, left, brings her daughter Jamee, center, to the doorstep of her kindergarten class during the first day of school at R.I. Meyerholz Elementary School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018. (Randy Vazquez/ Bay Area News Group)

Burhanuddin, Sehorewala, right, tugs on his mother Fatema's arm, left, on his first day of kindergarten at R.I. Meyerholz Elementary School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018. (Randy Vazquez/ Bay Area News Group)

Kindergartner Carlos Soto, left, stands next to his sister Arleth, center, before his first day of school at R.I. Meyerholz Elementary School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018. (Randy Vazquez/ Bay Area News Group)

Kindergartners Tyra Mujumdar, left, and Emma Valencia, right, wait outside their classrooms during the first day of school at R.I. Meyerholz Elementary School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018. (Randy Vazquez/ Bay Area News Group)

Sonny Mujumdar, left, takes a picture of his daughter Tyra, center, during her first day of school at R.I. Meyerholz Elementary School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018. (Randy Vazquez/ Bay Area News Group)

A portrait of Siyuan Gong during the first day of school at R.I. Meyerholz Elementary School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018. (Randy Vazquez/ Bay Area News Group)

Anna Roberts, left, walks with her son Kirk, 6, right, during his first day of first grade at R.I. Meyerholz Elementary School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018. (Randy Vazquez/ Bay Area News Group)

Stanley Cheng, left, takes a picture of his wife Jennifer Ho, and their sons Nicolas, 9, and Valdus, 7, during the first day of school at R.I. Meyerholz Elementary School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018. (Randy Vazquez/ Bay Area News Group)

Sonny Mujumdar, right, takes a picture of his daughter Tyra, left, during her first day of school at R.I. Meyerholz Elementary School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018. (Randy Vazquez/ Bay Area News Group)

Justin Shim, right, says goodbye to his son Jihoo, 6, center, during the first day of school at R.I. Meyerholz Elementary School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018. (Randy Vazquez/ Bay Area News Group)

Parents walk their kids into their classrooms during the first day of school at R.I. Meyerholz Elementary School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018. (Randy Vazquez/ Bay Area News Group)

Backpacks are placed outside of a classroom during the first day of school at R.I. Meyerholz Elementary School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018. (Randy Vazquez/ Bay Area News Group)

The first day of school is an emotional day for students and parents alike. Some students walked into R.I. Meyerholz Elementary School in San Jose on Thursday holding their parents’ hands, while others confidently skipped to class. Pictures were taken outside of the classroom, and backpacks were stored in cubbies. But once teachers shut the classroom doors, many parents had let go of their babies for the first time — the first step in a long journey to graduation. The excitement and trepidation, smiles and tears were on display this week at many Bay Area elementary schools as the new school year kicked off.

Randy Vazquez has been a visual journalist with The Mercury News and East Bay Times since 2017. Formerly he worked for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where he also interned. Vazquez is a proud alumnus of the New York Times Student Journalism Institute and San Jose State University.